NEW YORK (voa) – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 90 points higher at 10,607, while the broad-market indicator, the S&P 500, was up 13 points (one percent) at 1,166 points. The technology-heavy NASDAQ Index was up 14 points at 1,868.
European stocks were also given a boost by the positive U.S. data. In London, the Financial Times Index ended the day up 31 points at 5,293, with gains restrained by downward movements in the pharmaceutical sector. In Paris, the CAC 40 Index was 41 points higher at 4,588, while the Dax Index in Frankfurt was 124 points higher (2.4 percent) at 5,401.
Earlier in Japan, stocks advanced for the second day in a row, amid continued optimism about the economy, following a positive economic outlook by Japan’s Cabinet late Thursday. The Nikkei Index in Tokyo rose 79 points to close at 11,648, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index ended 93 points lower at 11,210.
New York gold closed at $289.90 an ounce – down $1.10 from Thursday. The price of gold in London is $289.50 an ounce – down $1.10.
The dollar was mixed against most other major currencies.
